Side Gallery

On the occasion of Milan design week 2019 the designer represented by Side Gallery Guillermo Santomà was commissioned by Rimowa to create an installation inside Milan’s Spazio Maiocchi. The Barcelona based architect come designer translated Rimowa’s aluminum casing into a gas station inspired installation. Santomà as he so often does, immersed himself in a fictional inspired design process. At the center of the installation titled “GAS”, the artist created an aluminum paneled car blending functional design and surrealism, Guillermo transformed the aluminum material as well as the everyday conception of a car, creating a new life, and demonstrating his fascination with the evolution of materials. The design of the car was complete, inside and out. Never repeating material processes, the colours and forms developed were all tools to illustrate the story and inspiration. The exhibition performed as a light and sound piece.

Hanging from the ceiling there was an industrial, pink neon chandelier, the naked neon lights and loose hanging wires were reminiscent of a destroyed or decaying gas station. The installation was accompanied by a short film - as shown in this story-. Inspired by the concept of contemporary Nomads, the video shows the car racing through the deserted desert, fulfilling the designers desire to see the light and shadows of the sun reflecting from the aluminum panels of his construction. The film was projected on screens around the exhibition room. The installation expressed the philosophy of Santomà, his desire to transform everyday objects into new innovative concepts and experiment with material limitations. Part functional, part magical sculpture GAS portrayed the phenomenon of fantasy so often seen in the works of Guillermo Santomà.